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Service Design in the C-Suite

By: Marisa White07/22/2019

Recently,
a role emerged on google alerts for a “Chief Service Designer” at Volvo. This
caught my attention as the Chief Design Officer is still a relatively new and
undefined title. What does this new specialized role entail? Does this mean
there is space in the C-Suite for multiple HCD leaders?

In
actuality, this particular role did not sit
C-Suite level, indicating in the description the direct report is the
Design Director, however opens up an interesting conversation of the role of
design in the c-suite.

In
part, this evolution must take into account the evolving definition of design. Design
is not just visual or product oriented, but instead with the emergence of UX design
we see design as a process for empathizing with people, driving ideation
through a reiterative process of prototyping and testing, until the final
outcome offers more viable results.

So
in turn, the emergence of this view of design in the C-Suite offers a direction
to stay off disruption via the quickly emerging experience economy.

However,
looking into the idea of a “Chief Service Design Officer” vs. a regular “Chief
Design Officer” offers another level of analysis on the purpose of design in
this position.

Service
design offers a purposeful look at the holistic nature in which we offer
service to customers, inclusive of back stage and front stage players. Service
Design is also innately service oriented (however much so the principals of
Service Design can be applied to traditional Product Design) which offers a
perspective that this position may be well-suited for the organizations heavily
service oriented or product companies looking to implement service components.

In
many situations you can see the overlapping of the C-Suite positions and
emerging design titles. Is Service Design the modern day Operations? Is UX
replacing Technology & IT leaders? Is design at large taking over the
validity of marketing?

The
Design Management Institute’s Design Value Index shows that design-led organizations outperformed the S&P by 228%
over the past 10 years. Prompting the researchers to comment that, “The most
innovative companies in the world have one thing in common: they use design as
an integrative resource to innovate more efficiently and successfully.”

However,
the final component is moving past lip service. Organizations thriving in the
experience economy make decisions informed by design first and above others.

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